848 INSECTA—BEE. 
and double black spots on the belly; the head is also longer and slenderer 
and the eyes somewhat resembling a half moon. It is extremely bold an? 
venomous. Its predominant passion is for flesh, and, when hungry, two o1 
three of them will seize upon a small bird, kill it, and devour its flesh. Nay, 
it has even been said, that singly, it will attack and conquer a sparrow. 

THE BEE.! 

Queen. Working Bee. Drone. 
Tue domestic bee differs in a variety of particulars from most other amt 
mals, and admits a threefold description, under its various characters ot 
queen bee, drone bee, and working bee; for though this last kind is, strictly 
speaking, the only honey bee, yet asall the three kinds are found, and seem te 
be necessary, in every community or hive of bees, they go under the same 
general name of apis mellifica, while at the same time they differ so much 
from each other, (more indeed than some different species of the same genus 
of other animals,) that a particular and separate description of each is neces- 
sary. The drones may easily be distinguished from the common or work 
ing bees. They are both larger and longer in the body. Their heads are 
round, their eyes full, and their tongues short. The form of the belly differs 
from those of both queen and common bees; and their color is darker than 
either. They have no sting, and they make a much greater noise when 
flying than either the queen or the common bees; a peculiarity of itself suf- 
ficient to distinguish them. Other writers en this subject have asserted, 
that the dissection of the drone gives as great proof of its being the male, as 
that of the queen does of her being female. 
The queen is easily distinguished from all the other bees in the hive, by 
the form, size, and color of her body. She is considerably longer, and her 
wings are much shorter, in proportion to her body, than those of the other 
bees. The wings of both common bees and drones cover their whole bodies, 
whereas those of the queen scarcely reach beyond the middle, ending about 
the third ring of the belly. Her hinder part is far more tapering than those 
of the other bees; her belly or legs are yellower, and her upper parts of a 

1 Apis mellifica, Lin. 
